Ahmedabad turns cricket fever into smart businesses:Homes shops near stadium turn into locker rooms; players seen relaxing in city cafes

There is tremendous cricket fever in Ahmedabad right now. Ahmedabad is painted in cricket colors and is ready for T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand which will be played on March 8, at the world’s largest Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. Before the final, the cricket teams of India and New Zealand have arrived in Ahmedabad. The teams received a grand welcome at the hotel, while some cricketers went to cafes at night and got into the Ahmedabad vibe amid the intense match. Gujaratis, known for turning challenges into opportunities, didn’t miss this occasion happening in their backyard. They have applied their amazing business mindset along with cricket fever for the T20 World Cup final. Locker rooms opened in shops homes near stadium complex T-shirts and caps are being sold outside Modi Stadium, while small locker rooms have been opened in shops of nearby complexes, where prohibited stadium items are being stored for profit. Even nearby homes have set up locker rooms and accommodation facilities to earn money. Brisk sales of T-shirts and caps outside Indian jersey with numbers of Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are being sold outside the stadium and are in high demand. T-shirt prices range from ₹200 to ₹300 while caps are priced between ₹100 to ₹150. Locals Gujaratis and people from various other states have already arrived at the venue to sell caps and T-shirts. ‘People nearby charge money for storing belongings’ During matches at Narendra Modi Stadium, there are restrictions on carrying items like bags, water bottles, food items, power banks, chargers and electronic items. When people come with bags and certain items, they are asked to leave them outside by security guards and police. To solve this issue, nearby residents have opened their own locker room setup charging people between ₹50 to ₹100 for storing bags in their homes. People arrived early in the morning to get tickets The final between India and New Zealand is scheduled for tomorrow, but the atmosphere outside Modi Stadium has already built up from today. People have arrived early in the morning at the stadium to get tickets. However, due to online tickets being closed for the last three days, many cricket fans are showing anger and disappointment. Cricket fans are very excited to watch the match and people have been arriving at the stadium since the morning of March 7 to get tickets. ‘Really want to watch the final, but tickets are not available’ Pranav Sharma, a cricket enthusiast who came to get tickets at Narendra Modi Stadium, said, “There is a lot of excitement to watch the match as the T20 World Cup final is being held in India and that too in Ahmedabad. Don’t know when we’ll get to see a World Cup final, but there is a lot of enthusiasm to watch this final match”. He has been trying to book tickets online on BookMyShow for the last three days, but they are not available online and it only shows ‘coming soon’. People coming from other states are eager to watch the match Harpal, who came from Barmer, Rajasthan to watch the match, said, “I had booked the World Cup final ticket first. The ticket was booked and India has reached the final, so there is a lot of excitement to watch the match”. Family came from Ranchi but didn’t get tickets A family from Jharkhand’s Ranchi came to visit Ahmedabad and they wanted to watch tomorrow’s match, so they came to get tickets and see the stadium. Despite not getting a ticket they seemed very excited for the finals. Shreyans from Ranchi said, “He is excited to watch the match. Abhishek Sharma can play very well, hasn’t played well so far but hopes he will play in the final match”. Indian team reached Ahmedabad yesterday Both teams have arrived in Ahmedabad to play the T20 World Cup final. The Indian team reached Ahmedabad yesterday evening. On March 6, enthusiastic fans gave a grand welcome to all the team players and staff at Ahmedabad airport. The team went directly to the hotel from the airport. Indian players given purple dupatta The Indian team received a warm welcome at Taj Skyline Hotel located on Sindhu Bhavan Road. The team was welcomed with dhol-nagara and garba. All players were given purple dupattas and tilak. The hotel placed special messages in players’ rooms along with fruits and sweets. Abhishek, Arshdeep and Ishan spotted at cafe Indian team members Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan and his girlfriend Aditi Hundia were seen late night at ‘Como By Cafe’. Thus, the cricket fever has already gripped the city from today with player and fans vibing on the tunes of Ahmedabad